With so much of our lives happening online today, it’s important to understand how to protect your privacy and personal information. The privacy settings on social media sites, apps, and devices allow you to control who sees what you share. Adjusting these settings regularly can help you feel more secure with what you’re putting out into the digital world.
Why privacy settings matter
Privacy settings give you control over who can access different types of information about you. Things like your posts, photos, location data, and contact details can potentially be seen by a wide audience if your privacy settings are public or if platform defaults are broad. Tightening your privacy settings limits the availability of your personal information.
Here are some key reasons why adjusting privacy settings can be beneficial:
- Avoid oversharing and regrets – Open privacy settings often lead to unintentionally sharing things widely. Adjusting settings helps prevent impulsive posts.
- Protect personal safety – Restricting access to information like your location, schedule, and family details helps enhance real-world safety.
- Limit ads and data collection – Broader data access informs the ads and recommendations targeted to you. Stricter privacy limits this data tracking.
- Manage professional reputation – Employers and colleagues may make judgments based on your open social posts and profiles.
- Shield children – Children and teens need age-appropriate privacy protections and oversight of their digital footprints.
Key privacy settings to be aware of
Here are some of the key privacy and security settings to look for on major platforms and devices:
Social Media Privacy Settings
- Facebook
- Profile privacy – Who can see your profile and posts
- Ad preferences – Data used for targeted Facebook ads
- App settings – Permissions for third-party apps you’ve connected to Facebook
- How people find and contact you – Controls like who can send you friend requests or see your friends list
- Instagram
- Account privacy – Options like a private account or who can see your photos and videos
- Story privacy – Who can view your Instagram stories
- Activity status – Whether your activity is shown to contacts
- History and tags – Whether you allow tagged posts in your profile and if you save your history
- Ads – Ad targeting preferences and ad data permissions
- Twitter
- Tweets – Whether tweets are protected (i.e. private)
- Photo tagging – If you allow tagging in photos
- Discoverability – Options like whether your account appears in search engines
- Contacts and address book – If Twitter can access your contacts for recommendations
- Snapchat
- Who can contact me – Restrict who can send you snaps or view your stories
- See my location – Whether you share your location on the Snap Map
- Ad preferences – Data used for targeted ads
Device and Browser Privacy Settings
- iOS
- Location Services – Permission for apps to access your location
- App permissions – Permission for apps to access contacts, calendar, camera, etc.
- Ad tracking – Option to limit ad tracking across apps
- Password settings – Options like requiring password immediately and erasing data after 10 failed attempts
- Android
- App permissions – Controlling app access to features like microphone, contacts, location
- Lock screen – Notifications shown on lock screen and lock time before screen automatically locks
- Activity controls – Dashboard to manage location, ad, voice recording, and other privacy settings
- Google ads – Ad personalization preferences and ability to opt out of targeted ads
- Windows
- General privacy settings – Manage location, speech recognition, diagnostics and other privacy options
- Account info privacy – Elect what Windows apps and services can access name, picture, and other account info
- Search permissions – Choose whether Cortana can search your device and access location, contacts, calendar, etc.
- App permissions – Control which apps can access features like your camera, contacts, calendar, etc.
- Mac
- App permissions – Manage what apps have access to camera, contacts, calendar, reminders, etc.
- Website tracking – Limit cross-site and social media tracking in Safari settings
- Password security – Require password immediately and set automatic locking
- Privacy sections – Control location services, analytics, advertising, etc. for Apple apps
- Chrome
- Cookie settings – Clear cookies and site data and set cookie permissions
- Safe browsing – Turn on protection against dangerous sites and downloads
- Site settings – Manage permissions like location and camera access for specific sites
- Sync settings – Manage what Chrome data syncs across your Google account
How to change key social media privacy settings
Below are step-by-step instructions to adjust key privacy settings on some top social media platforms:
- Click the downward arrow in the top right and select “Settings & Privacy”
- Go to the “Privacy” section on the left side menu
- Under “Privacy Settings and Tools,” click “Privacy Checkup”
- Follow the prompts to review and adjust key settings like:
- Who can see your posts
- Who can send you friend requests
- Who can see your friends list and profile information
- If search engines can link to your profile
- For additional settings like ad preferences and app settings, go back to “Privacy Settings and Tools”
- Go to your profile and click the three lines in the top right
- Go to “Settings” at the bottom
- Click “Privacy and Security”
- Adjust settings like:
- Account privacy
- Story privacy
- Activity status
- Contacts syncing
- Scroll down and click “Ads” to manage ad preferences
- Go to your profile icon in the top left
- Click “Settings and privacy” from the drop down menu
- Go to “Privacy and safety” on the left side menu
- Adjust settings like:
- Protected tweets
- Photo tagging
- Location information
- Discoverability
- Go back and click “Privacy options” to manage additional settings
Snapchat
- Tap your profile icon in the top left
- Go to the gear icon to access settings
- Tap “Privacy”
- Manage options like:
- Who can contact me
- See my location
- View live map status
- Tap “Ads” to adjust ad preferences
Protecting privacy on mobile devices
Mobile devices contain a wealth of personal information, making privacy settings important. Here are key tips for popular platforms:
iOS
- Review app permissions in Settings > Privacy and adjust as desired
- Turn Location Services to “While Using the App” for most apps
- Disable Ad Tracking in Settings > Privacy > Advertising
- Enable Find My iPhone and Frequent Locations in Settings > Privacy > Location Services
- Set passcode immediately under Settings > Face ID & Passcode
Android
- Turn off Location History in Settings > Google > Manage your Google Account > Data & Personalization
- Review app permissions in Settings > Apps & Notifications and adjust as desired
- Limit ad tracking in Settings > Google > Ads
- Set screen lock time and notifications in Settings > Display > Lock Screen
- Toggle on Find My Device in Settings > Security & Location
Securing social media accounts
In addition to privacy settings, securing your social media accounts helps protect your information.
Use strong passwords
Unique passwords over 8 characters long using upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols are hardest to crack. Avoid reused or guessable passwords.
Turn on two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication requires an additional step like entering a code from your phone when you log in from a new device.
Recognize phishing attempts
Look out for suspicious emails or texts requesting you enter your login credentials. Only enter details at official login screens.
Limit connected apps
The more third-party apps connected to your social accounts, the more avenues for potential hacking. Remove unused apps.
Monitor login notifications
Opt in to get alerts about logins from new devices to be aware of suspicious activity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my privacy settings change?
Platforms sometimes change their defaults with updates. It’s a good idea to review privacy settings regularly, especially after updates, to ensure your desired restrictions are still in place.
Do privacy settings protect all my data?
Platforms still have access to usage data for core functionality even with strict privacy settings. But limiting sharing and visibility does give you more control.
Can I recover posts if I tighten privacy settings?
Changing settings going forward impacts future posts more so than past content. Some platforms let you change past post visibility selectively or in bulk.
What happens if I delete an account?
When you delete an account, the platform removes content that you posted. Copies may still exist if others shared your posts. Some data may still remain on company servers too.
How can I safeguard children’s privacy?
Protect kids by reviewing all privacy settings, turning on parental controls, ensuring private accounts, limiting location sharing, monitoring interactions, and having ongoing conversations about online reputation and appropriate content.